MORIGENOS HELPS STUDY THE ENIGMATIC WHALES OF PITCAIRN
A science expedition involving Morigenos has just finished in the South Pacific. Morigenos is proud to be a partner in the project “Humpback Whales of the Pitcairn islands”, led by King’s College London and supported by the Darwin Plus grant. A team composed of Professor Terry Dawson from King’s College London, PhD student Katherine McCoy and Dr Tilen Genov from Morigenos travelled to Pitcairn island in 2023 and 2024 to study the humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in one of the most remote places on Earth.
The Pitcairn humpback whales are quite enigmatic. According to local knowledge, whales only started showing up around Pitcairn in 1990s, and recent work by King’s College London showed that they use these waters as a breeding ground. However, it remains unclear how many whales are using this area, and which population these whales belong to. These are some of the questions that the research team is trying to find out, using a combination of photo-identification, bioacoustics and tissue sampling.
Photo-identification allows us to identify individual whales based on natural markings on their dorsal fins and tail flukes. This can help us determine how many whales are using the Pitcairn waters, how often they return and where else they may roam. By comparing photographs collected around Pitcairn with identification catalogues from other places, such as French Polynesia or Antarctica, we can determine where these whales travel to. By recording and analysing whale song in the area, we can compare these song patterns to those from other whale populations. Finally, by collecting skin samples from whales, we can study their relatedness and population structure using genetics, which can help us determine the population identity of these animals. In addition, the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) can help researchers to gain deeper insights into the behaviour and body condition of these animals. This multidisciplinary approach will hopefully shed some light onto the biology, ecology and conservation status of these enigmatic whales.
Despite very challenging weather conditions during both expeditions, the team recorded several whale sightings, obtained photographs for individual identification, recorded whale vocalisations, obtained aerial footage and even obtained samples for genetic analyses. These data will help provide further insights into the lives and conservation of these mysterious giants.